Improvement in car-couplings



Patented April 28, 1874l l. A. B. PATTERSON.

Car-Couplings.

UNITED vSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES A. B. PATTERSON, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGN TO HIM- SELF AND WILLIAM DEWEY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPRovEM'ENT |N cAR-couPLlNGs.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 150,254, dated April 28, 1874; application tiled January 31, 1874.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J AMES A. B. PATTER- SON, of Springfield, in the county of Sangamon and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Car-Couplers; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

The object of my contrivance is such a construction in car-couplers as will enable oars, where the draw-heads are upon different vertical planes, to couple readily together, and, when coupled, to have great flexibility either vertically or laterally, and be capable of coupling or uncoupling upon curves or switches; and myinvention therein consists in the novel construction and combination of the principal operative parts. v

In order to enable those skilled in the art to construct and apply my car-couplin g, I proceed to describe the same in connection with the drawings, in which- Figure l represents the coupling in elevation, Fig. 2, a top plan view of the same; Fig. 3, a vertical section on line a' cc of Fig. 2; Fig. 4, a similar section on line'g/ y of the same iigure; Fig. 5, a separate View of the link; and Fig. 6, a view'of the principal springs detached.

A represents one of two similar draw-heads, which is divided centrally and laterally by partitions a into chambers B B, the rear portions of which are again subdivided by longitudinal vertical partitions b. The partition a extends on one side of the draw-head from the front to the rear, and on the other side to a pointvnear the front of the partitions b. On this lastnamed side of the draw-head a block, C, is arranged, slotted laterally in front, so that the top and bottom portions c c embrace the partition a above and below, and recessed in the rear, as at d, so as to receive the end of a leaf-spring, l), which is secured upon the bottom of the chamber B', and plays against the inner face of the recess just named, and

presses the block C to the front. On the other side of the chambers B B are arranged two leaf-springs, E E', converging toward the front, but with their immediate fronts turned outwardly, and a third spring, F, somewhat shorter and intermediate. The springs E E are secured at their rear ends to the sides, while the spring F is secured to the top and bends downward. In connection with these draw-heads two similar links, G, are used, having a long space, c, and a short space, f, and with the end where the short space is beveled off as at g. A riser-block, H, is upon the top of each draw-bar, over that side which has the blocks O, and a hole, g', for the coup ling pins passes vertically down through these blocks and through the partition a, and the lower shell of the draw-head. Similar vertical holes h pass through the other side of the draw-head between the fronts of the springs E E', and a third vertical hole, t', passes down through the center of the drawhead. l

Two couplingpins, one long one, I, and a short one, J, are used with this coupling, the long one in the hole g', and the short one in the hole h.

My coupling is used as follows, viz: The end of each link having the short space is inserted, one in each draw-head, with the beveled edge down between the springs E E', and under the end of the spring F in either of the chambers, and secured by the short pin J. The long pin I is entered in the hole g, and passes down to the -top of the front of the block, which arrests it.

When the cars designed to be coupled come together, the protruding end of each link enters the chamber opposite it, and pushing back the block C permits each long pin to fall, passing through the larger opening of the link and coupling the cars together.

By putting the link in the upper chamber of one draw-head, and the lower chamber of the other, two cars of unequal height are accommodated'.

The long pin may be used with the ordinary link in either chztnber in the central hole i, one chamber containing the blocks C, and the or coupling` with it cnr having the common other the springs E E', all combined substandrztW-head. tally as described.

The adventegesof my coupling are eppm- This specification signed and witnessed this ent upon inspection. 22d day of January, 1874. 4

Having thus described my coupling, l claim JAMES A. B. PATTERSON. its new therein, and my invention- Witnesses:

The draw-head A, provided with the cham- T. C. MATHER, bers B B', and subdivided by the partition b, R. H. FROST. 

